LUCKNOW: After a spectacular victory in Karnataka, the Congress leadership is believed to be considering withdrawing AICC general secretary and in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from UP so that she could focus on poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
UP Congress may get a new in-charge shortly to prepare the party for the Lok Sabha elections early next year. Top party sources said the UPCC is likely to get a new in-charge this month.
“As Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be preoccupied with the party campaign in poll-bound states, she won’t be able to devote adequate time to UP with the Lok Sabha elections inching closer. She is likely to withdraw from UP and a new in-charge will take her place shortly,” said a senior Congress leader in Lucknow.
Party sources said the names of former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat and senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar are making the rounds for the post of UP in-charge.
Rawat can be helpful to persuade the Uttarakhand voters living in UP. Tariq Anwar can come in handy in turning the Muslim vote bank back to the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“Some more names are also under consideration,” said a senior Congress leader.
The decision to appoint a new in charge of the party unit has put a lid on speculation over the change in state leadership. The party sources claim that incumbent UPCC chief Brijlal Khabri is likely to continue till the 2024 general election.
Significantly, after the UP Assembly elections in 2022, when the party won only two seats, Rampur Khas and Phephna, Priyanka has not visited the state. However, she led the Congress poll campaign from the front but failed to convince the voters. Congress could get just 2.37% votes in the 2022 Assembly elections against the 6.25% it had received in the 2017 polls.
Priyanka had taken the political plunge in January 2019 and was appointed in-charge of eastern UP. The then Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia was entrusted with the responsibility of western UP but after he switched over to the BJP, Priyanka took over the responsibility of the entire state.